Pittsburgh mayor denies wrongdoing; aide testifies

PITTSBURGH—In his first comments to the media since his chief of staff testified before a federal grand jury this week, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl insisted he's done nothing illegal.

Ravenstahl spoke with reporters Thursday, two days after Chief of Staff Yarone Zober testified before the grand jury for about 75 minutes.

A federal investigation is believed to involve whether Ravenstahl, 33, wrongly used his bodyguards after hours or used his political influence to help supporters. The mayor has not been charged with any crimes and his attorney has denied Ravenstahl is even a target of the months-long investigation, which federal prosecutors won't detail.

Speaking about Zober's testimony, Ravenstahl said, "I and we have done nothing wrong and I'm confident that'll come out in the end."

Another grand jury witness was believed to be the mayor's girlfriend. In an interview Thursday with KDKA-TV, Ravenstahl acknowledged the grand jury investigation "has, in many cases, crossed the line into the personal life. Perhaps there's a lot of interest there; I'm not sure what that has to do with any sort of wrongdoing."

"For me, facts are facts, the law is the law, and I know the facts and I know the law, and I know there's nothing that I've done to break that or do anything wrong," he told the station.

As to federal investigators, the mayor told reporters, "They continue to ask questions and we continue to cooperate.

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Zober and his attorney haven't publicly commented on the details of his testimony, other than to say it was truthful and that Zober was subpoenaed as a "fact witness."

Zober also chairs the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority and testified several days after federal prosecutors subpoenaed records from that agency. Investigators have previously obtained copies of valet parking records from a business, William Penn Parking Inc., whose owner is a political supporter of Ravenstahl's. The company manages several publicly owned parking lots, including at least two owned by the redevelopment authority.

Ravenstahl was City Council president when he became mayor in 2006 after his predecessor died in office. He later won a special election and another for a full four-year term. He announced he was running for re-election this year before abruptly changing course after the grand jury investigation became known, saying the job was taking its toll on his family and personal life.

"I don't know that I'm being portrayed as a criminal. People can make their own decisions," Ravenstahl told KDKA. "I can tell you the (grand jury) process is a bit frustrating and you can't defend yourself and be specific. But that's the hand we're dealt and that's the hand we'll play."